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Monday, October 31, 2016

I'm sitting here on the couch dressed as Harry Potter's teacher, Professor McGonagal, eating a caramel apple and enjoying the calm before the storm. Frankly, I'm exhausted and it's only 4:17.

So far today I've been to and from my kids' school four times (my husband got our daughter at pickup time so that shaved one trip off the expected five trips), banned my younger daughter from eating any more candy, and told my older daughter, no, she can't NOT wear her $25 robe--pretty much the bread & butter of her Hermione costume--tonight when she goes trick or treating. Sigh.

Mmm. That apple was good, but now my teeth hurt. Waaaa.

Anyway, let's do a post because pretty soon I have to get up and throw some frozen pizzas in the oven before the trick or treating commences.

Today I'm going to give you a few ideas of what you what you can do with candy melts if you ever happen to melt way more than you need. I do that quite frequently when melting things down for piping on decoration, though not as often when melting things for dipping. In general, it's better to have too much than not enough, especially since stopping midway through decorating is a pain and slows things down a ton and, in some cases, can even ruin a final product. That said, having a lot leftover can be a bummer in its own way because throwing it out is wasteful.

So here's how to NOT throw it out.

Option 1:Chocolate-cover all the things!

The easiest thing to do is to grab some pretzels or potato chips or cookies and dip them into the melted chocolate.

Option 2: Make Candy Bark

A second option is for you to make that extra into candy bark. If you go with this option (like I did last night when I melted 6 oz of chocolate to decorate the Frankenstein brownies), your best bet to minimize waste is to leave the bag of chocolate on your counter to harden. Then, when you're ready to deal with it, you can peel away the baggie (yet another reason to always use freezer baggies since they're thicker and won't rip apart IN your chocolate), dump the chocolate into a microwavable dish, re-melt the candy in the microwave, then spread it in a thin layer on a Silpat-lined baking sheet. Press whatever candies you have laying around into the chocolate while it's still wet, then pop into the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to set. Break apart and--presto--candy!

Option 3: Create Chocolate Melt Decorations

A while back I melted way too much white candy. I decided to make these decorations which can be used on ice cream sundaes, as a hot cocoa topper, or even as a decoration on top of, say, a pancake. Heck, you can even eat them plain.

Spider sundae

Boney Sundae

To make them... start with your baggie full of candy melt. Set a piece of waxed paper or parchment on the counter.

Pipe shapes, free hand, onto the paper. Keep in mind that the more intricate the design (like the thin spider webs or spider legs), the more likely it is to break. The thicker ones (like ghosts and bones and witch's hats) stay in tact better. Let sit on counter to set.

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Things have been busy busy busy up in here today with last-minute Halloween prep combined with regular getting-ready-for-the-school-week prep. Basically, whosoever decided Halloween should fall on a Monday this year needs a swift kick in the pants!

Tonight for dinner I made the Halloween pasta I bought several weeks ago from HomeGoods. The pasta is in the shape of bats, spiders, carved pumpkins, and ghosts.

I'd been planning on serving it tomorrow night but decided to switch
gears and serve pizza instead since "cooking dinner" doesn't fit on my
list of agenda items for tomorrow. I don't know if your schedule is as ridiculous as mine will be since a significant chunk of my day tomorrow is going to be spent driving to and fro between my house and my kids' school. Five round trips, to be exact. INSANITY. Morning drop-off, a return trip for the ten-minute kindergarten parade, another trip to pick up my kindergartner, yet another trip to attend the full-school parade, then the final trip to pick up my third grader. I'm not exactly looking forward to it, but Halloween comes but once a year so I'll deal. I may or may not complain about it all day...

Tomorrow during the first drop off, my daughters will be bringing their treats. I'm sending my 3rd grader with the lollipop bats and ghosts. Thank goodness I did those in advance. I would not have had time to do them tonight since I was busy putting 8 mini braids in my 3rd grader's hair so she's got a little wave in it tomorrow as Hermione Granger. (While I was busy braiding, my husband tied 2 Gryffindor ties--one for Hermione and one for my kindergartner going as Harry Potter.) That same kindergartner will be bringing today's featured treat: the Frankenstein brownies.

I've been excited to make these since I first saw them on the Like Mother Like Daughter blog. For some reason, the Frankenstein treats I make turn out looking the best. These did not disappoint, despite my making a few errors along the way. Luckily, green frosting hides a multitude of sins and Frankenstein is sort of a banged-up dude anyway. So messiness isn't all that big a deal. How convenient!

1. Prepare brownies in a 13x9 pan according to package directions. Allow to cool completely.

2. Spread green frosting on the brownies, then cut them into 20 segments (I did five rows of four) and remove from the pan, placing each into a jumbo cupcake liner. Aim for them to be kind of rectangular in shape.

Note: I made the mistake of removing my brownies from the pan because I thought frosting them in the pan would make them harder to remove. Perhaps this would have been an okay plan had I lined the pan with parchment or foil hanging over the edge for easier removal. But I didn't. Unfortunately, since they're fudgy brownies, they didn't release from the pan the way a cake would. Therefore, I had to take them out in sections and then a few of them broke apart. EEK! I managed to piece them together, but I think frosting them first and then removing them from the pan one at a time would have probably been a better plan.

3. Orienting your brownies so that the longer edge is along the side. Then build your face. Add two eyeballs about a third of the way down and a yellow mini M&M under the eyes as the "nose." For the "neck bolts," break a thin pretzel stick in half (I actually broke mine into 4) and insert the pieces into the side of the brownie about a third of the way from the bottom.

4. Melt your chocolate candy melts according to package instructions and then add to a freezer bag. Snip the tip, then pipe the melted chocolate along the top third of the face as spiky "hair" and in the place of the mouth. I made a straight horizontal line with three vertical lines to serve as both his scar and his mouth.

Seriously, how cute are these little guys? So cute. I love how they turned out. I'm sure they'll be a hit at school.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sip a caramel apple mimosa and watch Walking Dead. Next time we see each other, it'll be Halloween!!!

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Last night we carved our pumpkins. It was a big mess (as carving pumpkins is wont to be) and lots of fun. In fact, my younger daughter walked around to my side and said, "Mom, I really love doing family projects, and I love our family." That girl is such a little love bug. (She also has a habit of calling in to me from the other room, "Mom?!" I always assume she's going to ask for something but she says, "I love you." It gives me the feels every time.

She was quite intent on doing her own pumpkin this year--and she did a fabulous job cleaning out the gloppy innards. I watched her work diligently, even as I finished cleaning out my own, carved it, and ended up cleaning out my older daughter's pumpkin. But my little one didn't want my help, even when I offered. When she was ready to carve, she was quite miffed that I had to step in and help her with the knife, but I let her direct me and keep her hand with mine, so her final pumpkin was very much her own.

My older daughter was much less interested in cleaning out her pumpkin. She doesn't like getting messy--never did, actually, even as a toddler--and would only touch the gloopy pumpkin stuff a couple times. But after I took over (in an effort to speed things along), she did her own carving. She wanted to do a Harry Potter theme, but that didn't work out, so then she ended up doing her own version of a kitty.

My husband carved his annual grinning jack o' lantern. He pretty much does the same thing every year--he feels strongly that the classic needs to be represented.

As for me? I went political. Because I'm with her.

From left: Hillary "H" * Classic Jack o Grin * Cat * Pumpkin Head

I think they turned out well.

All the mess notwithstanding.

We also tried something new: we reserved some of the seeds so we could try roasting them. I'd intended on roasting them immediately so we could enjoy them whilst carving, but A. there was much too much going on, and B. we were full from all the nachos and dessert nachos.

I washed them last night and laid them out to dry. Then I roasted them today.

I'd planned on using a taco-flavored pumpkin seed recipe I found in Taste of Home (to go in with my nacho night, frankly), but I saw a few more online that sounded intriguing so I tried a few different savory options to see if we had a favorite.

My favorite source - both for flavor inspiration (though, interestingly, I didn't end up making any of hers exactly as written) and roasting recommendations - was the Wholefully blog. She also has great tips for cleaning the seeds. Head on over to her blog and check them out (and check out her other yummy flavor options).

For today, I decided to make Fiery, BBQ, and Parmesan Dill flavors.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds 3 Ways

Preparing Your Seeds
I rinsed mine in a
bowl, then poured them in a strainer and continued rinsing, picking out
any clumps of pumpkin goo that stuck to them. Once clean, I poured them
onto a clean towel to dry. Then I poured them, mostly dry, onto
parchment-lined baking sheets and left them on the counter overnight to
dry the rest of the way. (I read on Food Network- linked below- that you
should dry your seeds in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes prior to
tossing them with the liquid and seasonings and baking. If you don't
have time to do things overnight like I did, try this method. It's said
to make crunchier seeds.)

Ultimately, I saw several different ways to roast-- one source recommended 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes (stirring a few times throughout), one source said 250 degrees for 45-50 minutes (stirring occasionally), one source said 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. I even saw one that said 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes! In the end, I decided to go with the 300 degree oven temperature because when I make granola, 300 seems to be the sweet spot for toasting the ingredients while not burning the nuts.

5. Bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 8 minutes, until golden brown but not burned. (NOTE: Your bake time will depend on the thickness of your cooking sheet. Both my Parmesan Dill and BBQ flavors were on a standard-weight baking pan. Those became crispy and golden in 24 minutes. The Fiery flavor was on a heavier-weight, darker baking pan and needed the full 30 minutes to reach the same level of crunch. In sum, you'll need to keep your eye on them as you open the oven every 8 minutes to stir.) Mine were perfectly golden and none of the seeds or the ingredients burned. (I was concerned for the brown sugar.)

6. Cool before eating. They become crunchier as they cool.

We had a great time taste-testing these.

My daughters agree with one another--SHOCKING!-- in both their comments and preferences. They like the Parmesan Dill flavor best (and think it tastes like popcorn), then the Fiery ones (which they don't find all that spicy), then the BBQ (which they find the spiciest).

My thoughts? I also like the Parmesan Dill flavor--and agree it tastes like a cheesy popcorn--but I prefer the spicy-sweet foil of the BBQ more than the straight up spice of the Fiery. However, I find them equally spicy--I found the heat hits different parts of your mouth.

My husband is still sipping his coffee so he won't taste them yet. Killjoy!

Friday, October 28, 2016

It's nacho day up in here. Tonight we are carving our pumpkins (I'll feature the finished products--and a recipe for the seeds!--tomorrow.) so it's sort of going to be messy already. I decided I might as well go for broke and do all the messy things in one fell swoop.

Also? I used up our leftover roast and shredded chicken for the dinner portion of our night. They were scrumdiddliumtious .

Then it was time for dessert nachos. In the form of caramel apples. I saw these in pictures on Pinterest, but I didn't visit any blogs to check how they did theirs. I used my own procedure and favorite ingredients to build them. One of the great things about this "recipe" is that it's completely customize-able. Another great thing is it's relatively simple. And the best thing? It's DEEEEEELICIOSO!

1. Cut each apple into 8-10 wedges. Arrange onto a plate in a circular pattern.

2. Melt caramels with 1 Tablespoon of water in a pan over low-medium heat, stirring constantly.

3. Drizzle caramel over the apples. I used the spatula and worked in circular pattern. You can zigzag or do whatever.

4. Melt the candy melts in the microwave according to package directions. When melted, drizzle each candy melt in turn over the apples. (So that it looked nicer, I transferred my melted chocolate into baggies and snipped the tip so I could pipe it over the apples in a controlled way. I would have preferred to simply use a spoon to drizzle it, but it was thick and I felt like it would glob which I didn't want.)

Thursday, October 27, 2016

First, I woke up to find it dreary outside. While that's not necessarily an oddity in and of itself (though it is sort of a bummer since I was jonesing for sunshine and blue skies), it certainly made the next weird thing even more eerie. When I went downstairs to start the coffee pot, my two cats preceded me by a few seconds. From the top of the first landing, I heard their paws thumping as they raced to the kitchen and as I made my way to the bottom of the second set of stairs, I heard a hiss. I chuckled to myself because, you know, cats. (Sometimes when these two sisters play, one of them takes things too far and the other issues a warning hiss and that's that. Just like human sisters, come to think of it.) I hit brew and then meandered to the living room where I opened up my laptop. And that's when I heard it.

A strange noise. Kind of like a low growl meets a rumble meets a howl. "Oh no," I thought. "What's wrong with the coffee pot?" I headed into the kitchen to investigate what sounded like a coffee grinder on the fritz, only to realize it wasn't the appliance at all. It was one of the cats!

Shocked, but curious, I watched as my kitty alternately growled, groaned & moaned, and hissed at her sister. Her gaze remained fixed on her "enemy" the whole time.

In the relative darkness, it was downright freaky!

Though I thought they made up--about a half hour later, they approached each other and rubbed faces--I heard another scuffle while I was preparing today's treat, and the caterwauling started up once more.

I found the idea for these over at the Home is Where the Boat Is blog. They were simple to make--especially because I used a boxed brownie mix--and they're so adorable, too. This is one of two different brownie ideas I'm going to be sharing with you this week since I still have to tackle those Frankenstein ones for Monday's school Halloween party. These would be another fine option for you if you're asked to bake a festive treat. The great thing is you can use your favorite boxed brownie mix or your preferred brownie recipe as the base. The fun comes in decoration.

I made a few modifications to the source recipe based on what I had around and my family's taste preferences, and you can do the same. It's quite versatile.

Spooky S'more's Brownies

Ingredients:

For the graham cracker crust layer:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs(I used chocolate graham crackers because I love them. But one sleeve of them only produced slightly more than a cup of crumbs, so I made up the difference with my graham cracker-spiced wafer crumbs.)1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted(the original recipe also called for 2 Tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of salt. However, because my chocolate graham crackers have a dusting of sugar on the tops AND because the other layers make it plenty sweet, I left out the sugar. I also skipped the salt because I used salted butter as opposed to the unsalted butter recommended in the original recipe)

For the marshmallow topper:1-2 packages of Peeps Ghosts (my package had 9 ghosts- I used them all, but there was a section of my pan that didn't have ghost coverage; but that's how I wanted it)1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2. Pulverize graham crackers in food processor. Meanwhile, melt a stick of butter in the microwave. Combine graham crackers and melted butter and press into an 11x7 pan. (The original recipe called for an 8x8 pan. The author said that size was perfect for laying out 3 rows of 4 ghost Peeps. I laid out my 9 ghosts in an 8x8 pan before starting my recipe but they seemed too squished height-wise and also covered all of the brownies. My older daughter sometimes complains about marshmallows so I didn't want to have a full pan of marshmallow-covered brownies. Thus, the 11x7 pan was perfect for me because the ghosts could stand at their full height and also leave a section of the pan without marshmallow coverage. Depending on how many Peeps you have, you can adjust your pan size accordingly.)

Bake the crumbs for 10 minutes.

3. Make brownie batter. When the crust layer has baked for 10 minutes, pour the brownie batter over that layer.

Bake according to package directions.

4. Five (5) minutes before they're done, remove them from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips on top where you will place your Peeps. They'll melt slightly and then your Peeps have a sticky surface on which to rest. (OR, if you want to skip this step, that's ok. You could also spread a little marshmallow fluff on the bottom of the Peep to act as "glue.") Return to the oven for 5 minutes.

5. While preheating your broiler to Low, place the Peep ghosts on your brownies.

Don't they look like someone just yelled, "HANDS UP!" at them? Lol.

6. Place into the oven under the broiler just until lightly browned and toasty. As the original recipe notes, DON'T WALK AWAY from them. Stay close by and watch them. I even kept the oven door slightly ajar for part of this step so I could monitor their progress.

(optional step) As you can see, the little "faces" on these don't stay visible through the broiling process. If it's important to you (it wasn't to me since we're only eating these at home; had I been bringing them to an event, I probably would have done it), press mini chocolate chips into the face area as soon as you remove them from the broiler.

Be careful when you cut them-- the gooey marshmallow can be sticky on the knife.